Psalm 84:3

Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young—a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty…

What is “home”? For many peoples of the earth, this is central to their identity. Home identifies what family and nation you belong to. For Muslim people like the Dargins, the land is identified with the Islamic religion. By contrast, the Psalmist identifies “home” as the place near the altar of God!

Pray that soon the Dargin people will make their “home” in the shelter of the Almighty.

Dargin People

Timur often wondered where his home was, and how one defines “home.” Like his fathers before him he lived in the same mountain region on the western shore of the Caspian Sea his whole life. Yet his “home” was never truly his own. His people understand territorial struggle, as their whole existence had been one of constant invasion by outside forces; first the Huns, then the Turks, Mongols, Persians, and in his lifetime, the Russian Federation.

At times, Timur felt ungrateful since his existence was an envious one for many. In typical Dharginian fashion he never had to wonder what he would do “when he grew up.” Farming was in his blood, and like all highland farmers, he had a small plot of land to provide for his family. As expected in Dargin society, he married at age 25. He was surrounded by those closest to him, his tukhum, or related families of common lineage living together.

The Dargin people have adopted Islam, but really practice a syncretistic blend of traditional Islam and pre-Islamic paganism. With fewer than 40 known believers in Christ and out of more than 500,000 people from the Dargin people cluster, Timur has little opportunity to hear about true citizenship in heaven through a relationship with the True and Living God. He will have no chance to hear about a kingdom that will never be taken away from its citizens.